compare prices (i'm a Swiss army knife)

"....because Bug never forgot that a Swiss army wife, for instane, does everything well and nothing excellently; and to do something excellently a good navy surplus kelp-splitting blade is far superior to a thousand sawtoothed frogman's specials; and a gun is worth a thousand knives; and a good friend is worth a thousand guns; and ten minutes' bored talk about the weather with any girl is worth a thousand friends at your back on the Great Trek of 1836, at least at that time in his life, perhaps until he joined the affinity group none of his friends had ever been girls; but now everyone was his friend, especially the girls (but he only thought that; he didn't say it, didn't want anyone to claim that he was a sexist)"

(W.T.Vollmann, "Hardening His Heart", You Bright and Risen Angels)